Bribery Bill [HL]

My Lords, this group of amendments that the Government have put in place, in lieu of the one made by this House on Third Reading, is reasonably satisfactory. I understand the position that the noble Lord referred to if somebody has acted outwith the terms of the arrangements. If that happened, it would be very difficult for them, but so long as they are within the terms of the arrangements they are pretty well automatically covered. That is what the amendment which we put forward on Third Reading was really about; trying to ensure that the ordinary member of the security services or the Armed Forces who was involved would be able to point to some arrangement which covered him or her in relation to the allegation of bribery made against him or her. I regard this as a satisfactory way of dealing with the matter. It is also important that these arrangements are subject to the approval of the Secretary of State; therefore, there is accountability to Parliament for the way in which this particular aspect of the security services and the Armed Forces is conducted. I shall go back for a moment to the question about guidance. The noble Lord, Lord Bach, said—I do not think that he was forecasting—that there might be a new Administration after the general election. So far as the Administration of which he is an honourable Member are concerned, they would hope to have the guidance out by the summer. That might not bind a successor, but it does bind a successor that the guidance must be published before Clause 7 comes into operation. It seems to me to be a governmental undertaking, which would be binding on a successor Administration before they brought Clauses 6 and 7 into operation.